1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to weft thread inserting apparatus and, in particular, to a transversely movable, weft thread apparatus that carries both a thread guide and a combing element, thereby facilitating and simplifying the laying and combing of weft threads.
2. Discussion of the Relevant Art
In a known arrangement of this type (DE-PS No. 2063696) the thread laying arrangement comprises a continuous band running diagonally to the transport arrangement and having a combing element whose pegs intrude into the space between the weft threads. The speed of this band is geared to the speed of transport of the weft threads so that the movement of the pegs is effectively parallel relative to the direction of the weft threads. By means of these pegs, it is possible to separate weft threads which have become tangled because of mislaying between the transport chains or because of swinging which has occurred. Such tangling is a particular problem when dealing with "hairy" type of weft threads.
This combing arrangement is structurally quite complex, requiring a rather complicated drive arrangement with many gear wheels and chains. Furthermore, a substantial mass must be moved. Also, the guiding of the pegs is not very precise since the band is rather long, sags in the middle and tends to vibrate at certain machine speeds. As a consequence, the distance between neighboring weft threads cannot be less than a certain amount. Correspondingly, the wastage is particularly large at the turning points of the continuously fed weft thread at the transport chains.
Weft thread magazines without combing arrangements which include thread laying arrangements are well-known (DE-PS No. 2013694). Such thread laying arrangements include a carrier with at least one thread guide. This arrangement guides the appropriate weft threads parallel to the already laid weft threads between a holding means in one transfer chain to the other transfer chain. For this purpose a carriage, transversely movable between the transfer chains is provided into which a carrier may be mounted for reciprocation in the transfer (forward) direction. The carrier is steered by a guiding band which is connected to a steering arrangement. Both ends of the guiding band are longitudinally movable in the transfer direction, which enables the thread guides to continuously lay continuous weft threads between opposite holding means on a first and then a second chain, periodically displacing the threads by an appropriate number of holding elements on the outside of this second transfer chain and then completing the cycle by moving back in the opposite direction. By this means the weft threads may be continuously or endlessly laid. There are, however, thread guide arrangements which lay the thread merely from one transfer chain to the other whereupon they are cut. There are also thread laying arrangements in which the parallel movement of the thread guides with respect to the already laid threads is achieved in a different manner. For example, by altering the speed of the transfer chains in the vicinity of the thread laying arrangement.